School of Social & Political Sciences

Dr Philip O'Brien

  • Senior Lecturer (Urban Studies & Social Policy)

Research interests

Phil’s research interests lie in the relationship between planning systems and land policy and outcomes in land and housing development, as well as in the use of spatial imaginaries within planning and economic development policy.

  • Planning systems and land policy
  • Institutionalist theory in planning and development
  • Spatial imaginaries and spatial development policy

Research groups

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2015 | 2013
Number of items: 24.

2026

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Dembski, Sebastian (2026) Land value capture for place quality: how do land policy strategies and planning systems determine outcomes? disP - The Planning Review, (doi: 10.1080/02513625.2026.2650026) (Early Online Publication)

2025

Zhu, Jingyi ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1338-8281, Wang, Ying, Hickman, Hannah, O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, White, James ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6315-3165, Payne, Sarah and Inch, Andy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3349-687X (2025) From Building Retrofit to Urban Retrofit: Preliminary Reflections from an International Evidence Review. UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference 2025, Belfast, 10-12 September 2025. (Unpublished)

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2025) Spatial imaginaries and the construction of regions: a Cultural Political Economy approach. Territory, Politics, Governance, (doi: 10.1080/21622671.2025.2465261) (Early Online Publication)

2024

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2024) Zoning in or zoning out? lessons from Europe. In: Sykes, Olivier and Sturzaker, John (eds.) Planning in a Failing State: Reforming Spatial Governance in England. Policy Press: Bristol, pp. 103-119. ISBN 9781447365044 (doi: 10.46692/9781447365075.007)

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Watkins, Craig and Dunning, Richard (2024) The economics of land use planning and zoning. In: Gibb, Kenneth, Leishman, Chris, Marsh, Alex, Meen, Geoff, Ong Viforj, Rachel and Watkins, Craig (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Housing Economics. Routledge: London, pp. 242-252. ISBN 9780367347178 (doi: 10.4324/9780429327339-23)

2023

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2023) The quest for certainty: introducing zoning into a discretionary system in England and the European experience. Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning, 81(6), pp. 579-590. (doi: 10.14512/rur.1695)

2022

Stephens, Mark ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8068-7329, O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Earley, Alice ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-750X (2022) Resilience in the housing system: Market institutions from the global financial crisis to COVID-19. Project Report. UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2022) Country Profile: United Kingdom. Project Report. Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association, Hanover.

2021

Stephens, Mark ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8068-7329, O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Earley, Alice ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-750X (2021) Resilience in the housing system: The mortgage and housebuilding industries from the global financial crisis to Covid-19. Project Report. UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2021) Planning reform: a zonal future? In: Stephens, Mark, Perry, John, Williams, Peter, Young, Gillian and Fitzpatrick, Suzanne (eds.) UK Housing Review 2021 [29th ed]. Chartered Institute of Housing: Coventry. ISBN 9781916385436

2020

Satsangi, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0998-6307, Hoolachan, A., O'Brien, P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Dembski, S., Dunning, R. and Lord, A. (2020) Housing Land Allocation, Assembly and Delivery: Lessons from Europe. Documentation. Scottish Land Commission.

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2020) The myth of zoning: the European experience. Town and Country Planning, 2020(Aug), pp. 281-284.

Dunning, R., Payne, S., O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Buck, M. (2020) Land Value Capture: Attitudes from the House-building Industry on Alternative Mechanisms. Documentation. RICS Research Trust.

Dunning, R., Moore, T., Ferrari, E., Hoolachan, J., Keskin, B., Powell, R. and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2020) Affordable Housing Need in Scotland post 2021. Documentation. Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Chartered Institute of Housing and Shelter Scotland.

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Lord, Alex and Dembski, Sebastian (2020) How do planners manage risk in alternative land development models? An institutional analysis of land development in the Netherlands. Land Use Policy, 91, 104409. (doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104409)

O'Brien, Phil ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Dembski, Sebastian (2020) The Netherlands: From Public to Private Development without Loss of Control. Project Report. Scottish Land Commission, Inerness.

2019

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2019) Spatial imaginaries and institutional change in planning: the case of the Mersey Belt in north-west England. European Planning Studies, 27(8), pp. 1503-1522. (doi: 10.1080/09654313.2019.1588859)

2018

Sykes, Olivier and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2018) Europe inside out: regions to be fearful? Town and Country Planning, 2018(Feb), pp. 96-99.

2017

Dunning, Richard, O'Brien, Phil ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Moore, Tom (2017) Rapid Evidence Assessment of Changes to Mortgage Interest Relief in Ireland 1998 to 2016. Project Report. Residential Landlords Association.

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Sykes, Olivier and Shaw, David (2017) Evolving conceptions of regional policy in Europe and their influence across different territorial scales. In: Deas, Iain and Hincks, Stephen (eds.) Territorial Policy and Governance: Alternative Paths. Series: Regions and cities. Routledge: London ; New York, NY, pp. 35-52. ISBN 9780415661379

Lord, Alex and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2017) What price planning? Reimagining planning as “market maker”. Planning Theory and Practice, 18(2), pp. 217-232. (doi: 10.1080/14649357.2017.1286369)

2015

Lord, Alex, O'Brien, Phil ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Sykes, Olivier and Sturzaker, John (2015) Planning as 'market maker': how planning is used to stimulate development in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Project Report. RTPI.

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Sykes, Olivier and Shaw, David (2015) L'évolution des conceptions du développment territorial et de la gouvernance en Europe: des paradigmes en mutation aux nouvelles approches politiques = The evolving context for territorial development policy and governance in Europe– from shifting paradigms to new policy approaches. L'Information Géographique, 79, pp. 72-97.

2013

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2013) The Euro files: a tail of the unexpected? Town and Country Planning, 2013(Apr),

This list was generated on Thu May 21 16:18:17 2026 BST.
Jump to: Articles | Book Sections | Research Reports or Papers | Conference or Workshop Item
Number of items: 24.

Articles

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Dembski, Sebastian (2026) Land value capture for place quality: how do land policy strategies and planning systems determine outcomes? disP - The Planning Review, (doi: 10.1080/02513625.2026.2650026) (Early Online Publication)

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2025) Spatial imaginaries and the construction of regions: a Cultural Political Economy approach. Territory, Politics, Governance, (doi: 10.1080/21622671.2025.2465261) (Early Online Publication)

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2023) The quest for certainty: introducing zoning into a discretionary system in England and the European experience. Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning, 81(6), pp. 579-590. (doi: 10.14512/rur.1695)

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2020) The myth of zoning: the European experience. Town and Country Planning, 2020(Aug), pp. 281-284.

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Lord, Alex and Dembski, Sebastian (2020) How do planners manage risk in alternative land development models? An institutional analysis of land development in the Netherlands. Land Use Policy, 91, 104409. (doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104409)

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2019) Spatial imaginaries and institutional change in planning: the case of the Mersey Belt in north-west England. European Planning Studies, 27(8), pp. 1503-1522. (doi: 10.1080/09654313.2019.1588859)

Sykes, Olivier and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2018) Europe inside out: regions to be fearful? Town and Country Planning, 2018(Feb), pp. 96-99.

Lord, Alex and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2017) What price planning? Reimagining planning as “market maker”. Planning Theory and Practice, 18(2), pp. 217-232. (doi: 10.1080/14649357.2017.1286369)

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Sykes, Olivier and Shaw, David (2015) L'évolution des conceptions du développment territorial et de la gouvernance en Europe: des paradigmes en mutation aux nouvelles approches politiques = The evolving context for territorial development policy and governance in Europe– from shifting paradigms to new policy approaches. L'Information Géographique, 79, pp. 72-97.

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2013) The Euro files: a tail of the unexpected? Town and Country Planning, 2013(Apr),

Book Sections

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2024) Zoning in or zoning out? lessons from Europe. In: Sykes, Olivier and Sturzaker, John (eds.) Planning in a Failing State: Reforming Spatial Governance in England. Policy Press: Bristol, pp. 103-119. ISBN 9781447365044 (doi: 10.46692/9781447365075.007)

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Watkins, Craig and Dunning, Richard (2024) The economics of land use planning and zoning. In: Gibb, Kenneth, Leishman, Chris, Marsh, Alex, Meen, Geoff, Ong Viforj, Rachel and Watkins, Craig (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Housing Economics. Routledge: London, pp. 242-252. ISBN 9780367347178 (doi: 10.4324/9780429327339-23)

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2021) Planning reform: a zonal future? In: Stephens, Mark, Perry, John, Williams, Peter, Young, Gillian and Fitzpatrick, Suzanne (eds.) UK Housing Review 2021 [29th ed]. Chartered Institute of Housing: Coventry. ISBN 9781916385436

O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Sykes, Olivier and Shaw, David (2017) Evolving conceptions of regional policy in Europe and their influence across different territorial scales. In: Deas, Iain and Hincks, Stephen (eds.) Territorial Policy and Governance: Alternative Paths. Series: Regions and cities. Routledge: London ; New York, NY, pp. 35-52. ISBN 9780415661379

Research Reports or Papers

Stephens, Mark ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8068-7329, O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Earley, Alice ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-750X (2022) Resilience in the housing system: Market institutions from the global financial crisis to COVID-19. Project Report. UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.

Dembski, Sebastian and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2022) Country Profile: United Kingdom. Project Report. Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association, Hanover.

Stephens, Mark ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8068-7329, O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Earley, Alice ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-750X (2021) Resilience in the housing system: The mortgage and housebuilding industries from the global financial crisis to Covid-19. Project Report. UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.

Satsangi, M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0998-6307, Hoolachan, A., O'Brien, P. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Dembski, S., Dunning, R. and Lord, A. (2020) Housing Land Allocation, Assembly and Delivery: Lessons from Europe. Documentation. Scottish Land Commission.

Dunning, R., Payne, S., O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Buck, M. (2020) Land Value Capture: Attitudes from the House-building Industry on Alternative Mechanisms. Documentation. RICS Research Trust.

Dunning, R., Moore, T., Ferrari, E., Hoolachan, J., Keskin, B., Powell, R. and O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X (2020) Affordable Housing Need in Scotland post 2021. Documentation. Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Chartered Institute of Housing and Shelter Scotland.

O'Brien, Phil ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Dembski, Sebastian (2020) The Netherlands: From Public to Private Development without Loss of Control. Project Report. Scottish Land Commission, Inerness.

Dunning, Richard, O'Brien, Phil ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X and Moore, Tom (2017) Rapid Evidence Assessment of Changes to Mortgage Interest Relief in Ireland 1998 to 2016. Project Report. Residential Landlords Association.

Lord, Alex, O'Brien, Phil ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, Sykes, Olivier and Sturzaker, John (2015) Planning as 'market maker': how planning is used to stimulate development in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Project Report. RTPI.

Conference or Workshop Item

Zhu, Jingyi ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1338-8281, Wang, Ying, Hickman, Hannah, O'Brien, Philip ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1392-706X, White, James ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6315-3165, Payne, Sarah and Inch, Andy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3349-687X (2025) From Building Retrofit to Urban Retrofit: Preliminary Reflections from an International Evidence Review. UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference 2025, Belfast, 10-12 September 2025. (Unpublished)

This list was generated on Thu May 21 16:18:17 2026 BST.

Grants

PI, Contemporary housing crises and urban futures: Residential assets, actors, and agency in Australia and the UnitedKingdom, Universities of Sydney and Glasgow Ignition Grant, 2025-26, AU$42,500

CI, Urban Retrofit UK: Scaling-up place-based adaptations to the built environment through planning and development systems, ESRC, 2024-2027, £1,502,504

CI, EqualHouse: From Housing Inequality to Sustainable, Inclusive and Affordable Housing Solutions, Horizon Europe, 2024-2027, €2,999,185

CI, UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) (Phase 2), ESRC, 2022-2026, £1,172,652

CI, Housing Land Allocation, Assembly and Delivery (Scottish Land Commission), 2020, £24,800 

CI, Affordable housing need in Scotland post 2021 (Scottish Federation of Housing Associations), 2020, £40,900

CI, Land: Value to capture? (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Research Trust), 2018-2019, £8,400   

CI, Rapid evidence assessment of changes to mortgage interest tax relief in Ireland 1998-2016, Residential Landlords Association of England and Wales, 2018-2019, £4,000

CI, UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE), EHRC, AHRC and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2017-2022, £6,070,028

CI, Planning as ‘market maker’: how planning is used to stimulate development in Germany, France and the Netherlands (Royal Town Planning Institute Small Project Impact Research Scheme), 2015, £10,000

Supervision

Contact Phil if you are interested in undertaking doctoral research in:

  • State-market relations in land and property development
  • Planning and institutionalism
  • Spatial imaginaries in strategic planning and economic devleopment policy

Teaching

Phil teaches on the MSc. City Planning, the MSc. City Planning and Real Estate Development, and the MSc. Real Estate programmes.

Convenor

  • Economics of Planning and Development Lab
  • International Real Estate Markets
  • Real Estate Institutions and Markets (Nankai-Glasgow Graduate School)

 Contributor

  • Integrative City Planning Lab (lecture and seminar on planning and housing)
  • Planning Systems and Procedures (lecture and seminar on land value capture)

Phillip Staff Photo